Melanoma
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Jul 20 – Jul 27, 2026
Safety and efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation in solid cancers resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitors: results of the MITRIC trial.
J IMMUNOTHER CANCER · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #12/183TOP-TIER
This single-arm phase IIa basket trial (MITRIC; NCT05286294) tested the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) responders to patients with advanced cancers refractory to ICIs. Patients received up to five FMT administrations in combination with ICIs, with FMT-related adverse events and objective response as co-primary endpoints. Among 12 participants with various solid tumors, no objective responses were observed, five achieved stable disease, and median progression-free survival and overall survival were 1.5 and 10.1 months, respectively. Although FMT plus ICIs proved safe and feasible, clinical activity was limited, highlighting the need for further studies.
10.1136/jitc-2026-015122
Jun 29 – Jul 06, 2026
A Phase I Open-label Study of the Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of NHWD-870 HCl in Patients with Lymphoma and Other Advanced Solid Tumors.
RECENT PAT ANTI-CANC · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #79/352
This study is a phase I open-label, dose-escalation clinical trial exploring NHWD-870 HCl, an oral BET inhibitor, in patients with lymphoma and advanced solid tumors. Conducted across multiple centers using a Bayesian optimal interval design, the study evaluated safety, dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), maximum tolerated dose (MTD), and recommended phase II dose (RP2D), identifying 2.0 mg (5 days on/2 days off schedule) as RP2D due to manageable hematologic toxicity. Among 31 enrolled patients, 93.5% experienced at least one adverse event; dose/escalation-related thrombocytopenia was the primary toxicity factor, while efficacy showed a low Objective Response Rate (3.45%) but a promising Disease Control Rate (69.0%). The study concludes that NHWD-870 HCl demonstrated preliminary signs of efficacy in BET-dependent tumors and warrants further biomarker-driven evaluation, especially in diseases like NUT carcinoma and diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
10.2174/0115748928447241260617103928
Jun 22 – Jun 29, 2026
Addressing Biases in Analysis of Time of Infusion: NCI/SWOG Trial S1404 Among Participants With High-Risk Resectable Melanoma Who Received Adjuvant Anti-PD-1 Therapy.
JCO ONCOL PRACT · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #81/326
This study evaluated whether timing of immunotherapy infusion (early vs late) affected outcomes in high-risk resectable melanoma patients from the multicenter NCI/SWOG S1404 trial. 628 participants received adjuvant pembrolizumab and their first infusion times were analyzed using robust statistical methods to address multiple biases and confounders. No significant associations were found between infusion time and overall survival or recurrence-free survival, even after adjusting for location and testing various cut points (HR for OS at 15:48 = 1.40; HR at 15:18 = 0.98). The principal conclusion is that earlier immunotherapy infusions do not improve clinical outcomes in this population when analyses are adjusted for confounding factors.
10.1200/OP-25-01413
Jun 08 – Jun 15, 2026
Concordance of pathologic response assessment between local and central review in melanoma: a post hoc analysis of KEYMAKER-U02 substudy 02C.
ESMO OPEN · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #36/326
This study is a post hoc analysis of the phase I-II KEYMAKER-U02 substudy 02C, which was a prospective clinical trial evaluating neoadjuvant pembrolizumab alone or in combination with investigational agents in resectable stage IIIB-D melanoma. The analysis assessed concordance of pathologic response assessment between local and central review and among central reviewers in 60 participants. Key findings include a weighted kappa of 0.79 (95% CI 0.70-0.89) for local vs. central review concordance, and 89% agreement among three central reviewers (Gwet’s coefficient 0.94, 95% CI 0.90-0.98). The study confirms high concordance, supporting accuracy of pathologic response assessment after neoadjuvant therapy.
10.1016/j.esmoop.2026.107699
Jun 01 – Jun 08, 2026
Participant-Reported Preference for Pembrolizumab Administered Subcutaneously or Intravenously: A Randomized, Open-Label, Phase II Study.
JCO ONCOL PRACT · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #81/326
This phase II, open-label, crossover study (NCT06099782) evaluated participant preference for subcutaneous (SC) versus intravenous (IV) pembrolizumab in 147 patients with resected melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Participants were randomized 1:1 to SC (395 mg) or IV (200 mg) pembrolizumab for three cycles before crossover, with preference assessed via Patient Preference Questionnaire. Results showed 65% (95% CI: 56-74) preferred SC, citing less clinic time (64%), and 68% chose SC for continued treatment; grade 3-4 AEs occurred in 1% (SC) and 7% (IV) during initial cycles. The study concluded SC pembrolizumab offers greater convenience and comparable safety to IV administration in cancer treatment.
10.1200/OP-25-01248
Long-term survival benefit of neoadjuvant oncolytic virus plus PD-1 blockade in acral melanoma: implications of STING in resistance and potential therapy.
EXP HEMATOL ONCOL · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #6/98TOP-TIER
This phase Ib prospective clinical trial enrolled 30 patients with resectable acral melanoma to assess the long-term survival benefit of neoadjuvant oncolytic virus (OV) combined with PD-1 blockade. Patients were followed for 5 years, collecting pre- and post-treatment tumor and blood samples for integrated multi-omics analysis to investigate mechanisms of resistance. Key results include a pathological response rate of 77.8%, 2-year relapse-free survival of 81.5%, with 5-year relapse-free and overall survival rates of 70.7% (95% CI, 53.7-93.0%) and 80.0% (95% CI, 66.9-95.7%), respectively. The study concludes that OV+PD-1 blockade offers durable long-term clinical benefit and implicates STING dysfunction in resistance, suggesting that STING agonists could improve patient outcomes.
10.1186/s40164-026-00786-0
Intismeran Autogene Plus Pembrolizumab Versus Pembrolizumab Alone in High-Risk Resected Melanoma: 5-Year Update of the Randomized Phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 Study.
J CLIN ONCOL · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #6/326TOP-TIER
This randomized phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study evaluated intismeran (mRNA neoantigen therapy) plus pembrolizumab versus pembrolizumab alone in 157 patients with resected stage IIIB-IV melanoma. Over 60.3 months median follow-up, the combination prolonged recurrence-free survival (HR 0.510; 95% CI 0.294-0.887) and distant metastasis-free survival (HR 0.411; 95% CI 0.200-0.843) with a favorable overall survival trend (HR 0.471; 95% CI 0.165-1.345). Safety was manageable with no new signals. The combination showed increased T-cell receptor clonality and greater novel clone expansion in recurrence-free patients.
10.1200/JCO-26-00835
May 25 – Jun 01, 2026
Accuracy of Index Lymph Node Pathology in Predicting Overall Response to Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy for Clinical Stage III Melanoma: Results From the Prospective NeoACTIVATE Arm C (NCT03554083) Substudy.
ANN SURG ONCOL · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #39/312
This preplanned prospective substudy of the multicenter NeoACTIVATE Arm C trial evaluated whether pathology of a clipped index lymph node (ILN) predicts whole-nodal-basin response after neoadjuvant atezolizumab plus tiragolumab in resectable clinical stage III melanoma, using International Neoadjuvant Melanoma Consortium criteria and therapeutic lymph node dissection. Among 34 enrolled patients, 30 underwent TLND per protocol; 2/30 (6.7%) showed discordance (ILN pathologic complete response [pCR] but residual disease in non-ILNs), yielding an ILN pCR false-negative rate of 13.3%. In the subgroup with a single involved node at baseline (n=8), pathologic major response was 75% and concordance was 100%. The study concludes ILN pathology alone may not fully reflect basin status, advising caution in de-escalation based solely on ILN response and calling for trials of limited nodal resection.
10.1245/s10434-026-19899-1
Safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and antitumor activity of cergutuzumab amunaleukin: a phase I study in patients with advanced and/or metastatic solid tumors.
ESMO OPEN · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #36/326
This phase I study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and antitumor activity of cergutuzumab amunaleukin (CA) in 60 patients with advanced/metastatic CEA-positive solid tumors. The study comprised two parts: single-dose (0.1-6 mg, n=5) and multiple ascending doses (10-40 mg q2w, n=31; 6-30 mg qw, n=24), establishing an MTD of 30 mg q2w with dose-limiting toxicities including Gr4 hypophosphatemia and thrombocytopenia. Pharmacokinetics showed dose-proportional exposure (6-40 mg), and pharmacodynamics revealed preferential expansion of CD8+ T and NK cells. No objective responses were observed, but 11% (6/53) achieved stable disease (median duration 4.5 months), supporting further combination therapy development.
10.1016/j.esmoop.2026.107697